Specialist Provider Network - Employment and Skills - Minutes 21

							Minutes

Date                     21 August 2007
Subject                  Specialist Provider Network - Employment and Skills
Location                 Birmingham and Solihull
Time                     10.00 am - 12.00 noon
LSC office               West Midlands Region
Publication intent       External



Present                  Stuart Baird - Skills for Care
                         Fred Bentley - West Midlands Brokerage Service
                         Dawn Carville - Playwork West Midlands

LSC staff                Jon Cunningham - Skills Development Manager
                         Jason Clark - Skills Support Advisor, Train to Gain
                         Azma Shain - Skills Support Advisor

Apologies                Claire Barker - Stoke College
                         Phil Beal - Staffordshire Quality Learning Services
                         Theresa Houghton - Ludlow College
                         Roger Minett - Matthew Boulton College
                         Helen Mapp - Herefordshire PCT


Item 1. Welcome and introductions
1.1 Jon Cunningham (JC) welcomed the group to the first Specialist Provider
     Network (SPN) - Employment and Skills Task and Finish Group.
1.2 All attendees introduced themselves to the group.

Item 2. Scope and remit of the group.
2.1 JC suggested the group looks at the connections between what we are
     funding and employer demand and think about how we can address this.
2.2 The summary supply demand mismatch matrix was discussed in relation to
     the over supply of Childcare and related personal services and the
     undersupply of Healthcare and related personal services.
2.3 It was identified that Play Worker roles tend to be out of office hours and
     carried out by older staff who often want to do shorter courses where
     individual modules can be added together to gain a full NVQ qualification if
     desired. JC informed the group that a Framework for Achievement is

Learning and Skills Council West Midlands Region
15 Bartholomew Row Birmingham B5 5JU
T 0845 019 4143 F 0121 345 4503 www.lsc.gov.uk
       currently being pulled together where specific modules are likely to be
       compulsory towards completing a full NVQ qualification. ACTION: JC to
       circulate future plans of the Framework for Achievement to the group.
2.4    The group agreed the need to consider part time as well as full time staff
       when looking at the supply of qualifications.
2.5    The group felt it would be good to look at structural issues that could relate
       across sector arrangements to address the difference between peoples’
       perceptions of roles.
2.6    Concern was expressed about how accurate the demand figures within the
       Sector Review were and whether there were was an assumption that people
       don’t want to study towards a formal Level 2.
2.7    The group identified that with certain roles i.e. social workers, there is an
       oversupply of staff and an issue with the under supply of work placements to
       complete training to gain wider experience.
2.8    The group discussed the growing overlaps in roles across the Health, Social
       Care and Children’s Workforce sectors.
2.9    It was noted that we need to make sure we can access funding to meet the
       issues we want to address in relation to supply and demand (funding from
       ESF/brokers and colleges).
2.10   The group felt that capacity to deliver might need to be discussed with the
       wider SPN when in situations where supply is not matching demand to see if
       there is capacity for delivery to be increased.
2.11   The group was keen to understand how funding is being spent, what is being
       delivered and where. Fred Bentley (FB) informed the group that the
       brokerage service collates figures in relation to this. FB will have information
       circulated to the group but did point out that the data collated was generic
       and not broken down into specific sectors. Action: FB to send Azma Shain
       (AS) relevant data.
2.12   There was some discussion about brokerage and how this might be
       developed to help to reconcile supply and demand mismatches. For
       example Skills for Care are working with 7 sub regional partnerships that will
       complete and feed ONA data back to the brokerage service. This initiative
       will pilot up to 200 ONA’s to help develop a specialist brokerage service.

2.13 The group felt that there is a need to think about models to tease out the
     demand and possibly address these through the SPN. Possible issues for
     the models to address are:
           Have we got enough/too many suppliers and is this consistent
            across the region?
           How is the provision being delivered?
           Better detail about what the demands are.
2.14 There was discussion about the flexibility of providers.
2.15 The group felt responsive funding appears to be used well in the West
     Midlands region.



Minutes of meeting on 21 August 2007                                      Internal Document
Specialist Provider Network - Employment and Skills - Minutes 21 August                2 of 4
2007
2.16 Jason Clark informed the group that there is a need to increase Domiciliary
     Care courses as there are real problems around the delivery of these
     programmes.
2.17 It was noted that conflict between employers and providers can exist when it
     comes to trainers and assessors e.g. around issues such as Health and
     Safety and assessor competence. The group felt the wider SPN should be
     asked how they are dealing with this. We need to think about the differences
     between assessors and occupationally skilled. ACTION: JC/AS to contact
     Helen Mapp for more information on work based assessor roles.
2.18 There was a concern that colleges are not always flexible enough. FB
     informed the group that it was difficult to find college contacts during holiday
     periods.
2.19 It was expressed that it would be useful to know which sectors need
     assessors.
2.20 JC gave the group some information about the Joint Investment Framework
     between Learning Skills Council, Skills for Health and the Strategic Health
     Authority. This Joint Investment Framework will be focussed on staff in
     bands 1-4 to fund skills development and qualifications at Levels 2, 3 and 4,
     Apprenticeships and Skills for Life. This will be delivered through an
     investment of up to 5million/5million agreed regionally, in response to a
     shared skills action plan. Details of how funding will be deployed are being
     finalised.

Item 3. Agreeing a work plan
3.1 Key Actions
      The group agreed that they would meet again to agree the work plan and
        to better understand the direction of the group.
      Look at provider responsiveness – links with brokerage.
      Questions will be taken to SPN – is there capacity.
      Look at figures to see how much of the supply is 16 – 18.
      Look at information on new demand and upskilling. The group were
        informed that the care workforce turnover is near 20%, this is because
        some staff do not enjoy the job and others leave after long term service.
        Stuart Baird (SB) to send JC figures of staff turnover in the care
        sector.

Item 4. Any other business
4.1 None

Item 5. Date of next meeting
5.1 Possible dates for the next meeting will be circulated shortly. Action: AS to
     circulate possible dates for next meeting.




Minutes of meeting on 21 August 2007                                      Internal Document
Specialist Provider Network - Employment and Skills - Minutes 21 August                3 of 4
2007
Meeting chair             Jon Cunningham
Minute taker              Azma Shain
Date created              4 December 2007
Document ref.             G:\SkillsWfD\PUBLIC SERVICE 1\SECTORS\SPNetwork
                          Health Care & Childrens\Emp and Skills Task Gp\wmr-
                          specialistprovidernetwork-employmentandskills-minutes-
                          21aug2007.doc




Minutes of meeting on 21 August 2007                                      Internal Document
Specialist Provider Network - Employment and Skills - Minutes 21 August                4 of 4
2007